There’s something special, elegant and luxurious about chocolate dipped strawberries. Not only will they help you step up the romance on Valentine’s Day, they’re also an impressive gift for Mother’s Day, perfect to take to your next dinner party or just a great way to spoil someone special.

DIY With Just Two Ingredients - Or Get Creative

Although choc-dipped strawberries look fancy, they’re surprisingly easy to make at home. If you want to keep it simple, you only need two ingredients, strawberries and chocolate, but if you want to take it to the next level, here are some creative decorating ideas.

Decorating Suggestions:

• Chocolate drizzle (white, dark or milk chocolate)
• Finely chopped nuts (pistachios, peanuts or almonds)
• Toasted coconut flakes
• Coloured sprinkles or cachous (pink, silver or gold)
• Crushed Oreo cookies or your favourite biscuit crumb
• Cadbury Flake chocolate bar
• Shaved chocolate/chocolate curls

Choosing and Preparing The Strawberries

Choose fresh, unblemished, medium to large strawberries that are the same size and bright red all the way to the stem. White ends don't have the same flavour or visual appeal once dipped in chocolate. We recommend visiting your local farmers market or grower to get the best strawberries you can find.

Rinse the strawberries and dry them thoroughly. We use paper towel to pat them dry, then leave them to sit on a clean tea towel at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. This is an important step because any moisture on the berries will affect the chocolate. This includes any moisture from blemishes, so avoid strawberries with any visible bruises or soft spots.

Preparing The Decorations and Equipment

It's a good idea to have everything ready before you melt the chocolate, because once you start dipping the strawberries, you'll need to work reasonably quickly.

• Line a baking sheet with baking paper
• Prepare a space in your fridge for the baking sheet
• Prepare your decorations (chop the nuts, toast the coconut) and place them in small dipping bowls

Melting the Chocolate

Dipping The Strawberries

Now it’s time for the fun part.

Take a strawberry and hold it securely with your fingers by the leaves. Dip it in the melted chocolate, about two thirds of the way up the strawberry, rotating it to form an even line. Gently shake off any excess chocolate back into the bowl.

Roll the dipped strawberries in the chopped nuts, toasted coconut or biscuit crumb, if desired.

Place the dipped strawberry on the lined baking sheet. Once you've placed it, don’t disturb it until the chocolate has set.

Once you’ve dipped all of the strawberries, transfer the baking sheet to the fridge.

Decorating With Chocolate Drizzle

Drizzling chocolate, especially chocolate of a different colour, is an easy and effective way to decorate your strawberries.

Melt the chocolate using the same method for the dipping chocolate, then pour it into a disposable piping bag. If you don't have a piping bag, a zip lock bag will also do the trick. Cut a very small tip off the corner of the bag, then gently squeeze the chocolate through the hole in a thin stream.

If you don't have a piping bag or zip lock bag, you can also use a spoon or a fork to drizzle the chocolate across the strawberries.

Once you've finished topping your strawberries with chocolate drizzle, simply return them to the fridge to set.

Our Top Tips For The Best Choc-Dipped Strawberries

• Choose medium to large ripe, blemish free strawberries that are red all the way to the stem.
• Ensure the strawberries are thoroughly dry and at room temperature before dipping in chocolate. Chocolate and water aren’t friends.
• Choose high quality chocolate for the best flavour and results.
• Store in the fridge, but serve at room temperature for ultimate flavour.
• Use the choc-dipped strawberries to decorate your favourite chocolate cake, or dress up any chocolate dessert.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do chocolate dipped strawberries last?

Chocolate dipped strawberries are best eaten the same day they are made. Over time the moisture in the strawberries will cause them to sweat and this will affect the chocolate.

Can I freeze chocolate dipped strawberries?

We don't recommend freezing the strawberries after dipping because when they thaw out, the strawberries will release excess moisture and affect the chocolate.

Recipe

Makes: 15-20 strawberries

Recipe time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients:

Strawberries - 2 punnets of medium to large ripe, blemish free strawberries

120g chocolate for dipping (milk, dark or white, depending on your preference)

50g chocolate for drizzle

1/4 cup finely chopped pistachios, almonds or peanuts

Method:

1. Rinse the strawberries, then pat them dry with paper towel. Lay the strawberries on a clean tea towel and allow them to air dry completely at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This step is important, because any moisture on the strawberry will affect the chocolate coating.
2. Line a baking sheet with baking paper and prepare your choice of additional decorations such as finely chopped nuts, toasted coconut flakes or crushed biscuits.
3. Melt the dipping chocolate by placing it in a medium sized heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, ensuring the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir the chocolate until melted, then remove from the heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. Take a strawberry and hold it securely by the leaves with your fingers. Dip the strawberry into the chocolate, rotating it to form an even line at the widest point of the strawberry. You want the chocolate to cover about 2/3 of the fruit. Gently shake any excess chocolate back into the bowl.
5. Roll the choc-dipped strawberry into the finely chopped nuts or toasted coconut, if desired.
6. Gently lay the dipped strawberry on the baking sheet. Once all of the strawberries are dipped, place the baking sheet in the fridge until the chocolate sets. Don’t disturb the strawberries until the chocolate is hard.
7. Once the chocolate has set, you can remove the strawberries from the fridge and decorate with chocolate drizzle. Simply melt the additional chocolate and allow to cool slightly, then pour into a disposable piping bag or snap-lock bag. Cut a very small tip off the bag, then gently squeeze the chocolate in a thin stream over the strawberry.  

And that’s it. It’s that simple. So get down to your local farmers market, pick up the most beautiful strawberries you can find and get dipping!